If you are looking for an agency with good guides, who are practically all over the country good knowledge and history of Egypt with an amazing passion, they are your best option. In addition, Egypt tours a great travel agency.
Egypt (officially Arab Republic of Egypt), cradle of our civilization, is a country of contrasts and controversies in all its areas. From his religion, going through politics and even the tourism sector itself.
Destination sought and dreamed by anyone who has an interest in architectural, anthropological or spiritual issues, but very complicated for independent travelers and, above all, travelers.
For this reason, in this article I am going to give you a personalized guide.
What to see in Egypt
The security vs. insecurity of the country.
The worst and the best of the pyramids (and not only those of Giza).
Visa topics.
Gastronomy.
The choice of tours and tour guides during your visit.
I will develop point by point everything good that we live, so that you can travel to Egypt and enjoy it equal or better than us. But I will also explain to you all the difficulties and negative aspects so that you will be much safer and more confident.
All facts and data are based on our own experience knowing the country during a month of travel.
Is it safe to travel to Egypt in 2019?
When you have made the decision to travel to Egypt this is the 1st question that will assail you. At least, it was the first time that Cris and I became friends as soon as we decided that we had to include this destination in our trip.
As soon as you get to look for information on the subject you will get all kinds of aberrations:
Attacks
Bombs
Religious extremists.
And other calamities.
Even more if you look in press pages and some institutional ones.
For example, here are the recommendations given by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Spain on security in Egypt.
Almost all media news tells half-truths and is ready to scare you. I do not want to say that you do not pay attention to them, but at least, take a prudent time to contrast them.
At this point, above all, I recommend you ask people who have traveled to Egypt recently, because many of the things you will read have been written by people who have never set foot in the country . You will tell me how much authority these opinions have.
1. Insurance
Always have a travel insurance that covers everything you need in a troubled country.
The best thing that can happen is that you do not use it, in fact, we did not have any problems during our stay. But this gave us a lot of calm before any possible adverse situation .
Even more so when the sanitary conditions in this country are not among the best in the world. Good travel insurance guarantees that you are treated in a good private hospital (there are some).
2. Clothing
If you are a girl or a boy who travels with your partner (as was my case), you have to be aware that you are going to an Arab country where many men have not seen an ankle or a shoulder of a woman in their life.
Therefore, clothing is a fundamental point to avoid problems or, what is the same, go unnoticed. I know that this may not be to your liking or understanding, but remember that the goal is to avoid uncomfortable situations.
In the end it is about giving a recommendation to travel to Egypt. Nothing that is mentioned below is mandatory.
What works best?
- Long sleeve and long trousers or skirt (and that do not mark the curves): from experience I know it is very hot. We were in full August, but you will appreciate not being in constant pressure with lascivious looks. The light linen garments are the best to combat high temperatures. Fundamental does not teach shoulders or knees.
- Head cover: you can use a veil or a simple handkerchief to cover yourself. The Egyptians will show more respect with this simple detail. In addition, you will protect yourself from the righteous sun.
- Three words in Arabic: "Hello" is "Salam-alaykum" (pronounced salam jalekum, to answer if they tell you, you can answer " alaikum salam" ) . "Thank you" is "Shokran" (pronounced something like chukram ). "No" is "La'a" (pronounced " the" and it will serve you to say many times to the sellers " the chukram" which is "no, thank you"). The Egyptians looked at me differently whenever I used these words in a dry and firm way to start or end a conversation.
- A ring: many solo travelers use a false engagement ring as a symbol for the Egyptians to know they are "not free". While it is true that many will give the same and always try a "flirt", most respect this religious symbol and you will be less burdened (you as a woman or your partner).
- Always say that you are married: to reinforce the theme of the ring, always say that you are married or married if you are a couple. The Egyptians always understand that with the word "girlfriend" or "boyfriend" they have an opportunity and the door is open. In fact, they smile more if you tell them you are dating and you are not married yet.
- Go accompanied by a local person: on this, I go in depth in the next point.
In any case, if you are a traveler, I recommend you to visit Egypt tours. It will surely help you to make a better decision to travel to Egypt whether it is alone or accompanied.
3. Local guide or agency
A guide, a tourist agency or a simple contact from a local person will help you relax on your trip.
If you go for free you will feel a strange pressure all the time because everyone looks at you. On my trip to Egypt, when we were alone, I felt like a dollar walking all the time.
And this, believe me, it exhausts you.
All the time you have to be tense and defensive to get away with the multiple attempts of swindling, of the haggling and, above all, of the unlikely actions to snatch your girl.
Sometimes, it's an extra expense of money and time, but it really paid off for us.
If you are going to hire an independent guide or an agency, it is very important that you do it through the recommendations of other travelers and tourists. Sadly there are many cases of bad services and scams from local guides.
4. Check the information of the site you go to
Find out about the latest news about the sites you want to visit. For example, there are some places like Abu Simbel, which mean you are forced to go to Convoy (group of cars or boats) for safety reasons.
This does not mean you cannot make your trip for free. Simply, look for the different options and choose the one that you think is best for you.
Conclusion about whether traveling to Egypt is safe or not
Finally, tell you that for us, if you follow these recommendations..
At no time were we afraid of our physical integrity or had any problem to highlight.
In addition, you will find multiple police checkpoints on many routes that will ask for your passport to write down what entrances and exits from different cities you are traveling. With this method, let's say you know where you are moving.